What Preschoolers Will Learn:

How to make a shadow

That they need a light, an object and place for the shadow (wall, ground, floor) to create a shadow.

What You'll Need:

Construction paper or pre-cut Halloween shapes such as a pumpkin, spooky tree, bat, witch etc.

Scissors

Two preschoolers or one preschooler and an adult

Flashlight

An empty wall

What To Do:

Step one: If you're not using pre-cut Halloween shapes, go ahead and cut your construction paper into spooky shapes. Depending on your preschooler's age, they may be able to do the cutting themselves, if the objects have been traced out on a piece of paper. Or print out Halloween shapes from any number of Halloween themed websites.

Step two: Have one preschooler (or adult) hold the Halloween shape up. They should stand a few feet from the empty wall.

Step three: Have the other preschooler (or adult) stand about two feet away from the preschooler holding the halloween shape. Have them point the flashlight at the Halloween shape. It should show up on the wall.

Step four: See what happens when you turn the flashlight off and on or when the preschooler holding the shape puts the shape down.

Variations:

Have preschoolers with the flashlight move closer and further away from the shape holder to see how the shape changes.

See if things change with the shadows if you use different color paper, different size flashlights and different size shapes.

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Helpful Tips for Parents

• Science fear is learned, not innate. Preschoolers approach science with natural confidence — protect that confidence by keeping science joyful and low-stakes.

• Safety first: always supervise, taste-test nothing, wash hands after experiments. Model good safety habits — goggles, careful pouring, cleanup. Safety habits built in preschool persist.

• Always ask "What do you think will happen?" before running an experiment. Prediction is the core of scientific thinking, and preschoolers' predictions are always worth hearing.

• Repeat experiments multiple times. Reliability — the same result happening consistently — is a key scientific concept, and repetition gives preschoolers the proof they find satisfying.

• Science is everywhere: the kitchen, the garden, the bathroom, the driveway. Narrating daily life as science keeps curiosity active between formal experiments.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make science experiments safe for preschoolers?

Keep experiments to food-safe or food-grade materials whenever possible: vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, food coloring, and dish soap cover most preschool science. Always supervise hands-on experiments. Establish and enforce the rule: "We only put things in our mouth that adults say are safe." Keep experiments away from eyes — vinegar and salt water sting. Wash hands after all experiments. A pair of toy safety goggles adds a "scientist" identity bonus while providing real protection from splashes.

What everyday household materials are best for preschool science?

The essential preschool science pantry: baking soda, white vinegar, cornstarch, salt, sugar, food coloring, dish soap, and water. These materials enable: acid-base chemistry (baking soda + vinegar), non-Newtonian fluids (cornstarch + water = oobleck), color mixing (food coloring), surface tension (dish soap), crystal growing (salt and sugar), and density experiments (sugar solutions). Beyond kitchen supplies: magnets, a flashlight, a magnifying glass, and ice are the other essentials. The best science lab is an accessible kitchen shelf.

Related reading: See also our bubble experiments and our science experiments at home for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 😌 Patience & Delayed Gratification — Experiments with delayed results — growing plants, watching crystals form, tracking weather — teach children to wait for outcomes rather than needing immediate feedback, a skill that predicts academic and life success.
• 🔬 Scientific Method — Even a simple experiment teaches the predict-test-observe cycle that is the foundation of scientific thinking — and preschoolers who internalize this process approach problems with genuine scientific confidence.
• ⚖️ Cause & Effect Understanding — Seeing that one action reliably produces a specific result builds the logical framework children use in mathematics, reading (one event causes another in stories), and everyday reasoning.
• 💬 Science Vocabulary — Science introduces children to precise vocabulary — observe, predict, hypothesis, dissolve, absorb, transparent — that dramatically expands language range and supports the academic vocabulary children need in school.

Create spooky Halloween shadows on the walls of your home or classroom with this easy preschool experiment. Not only will preschoolers have a blast with this experiment, but they will be learning how to produce shadows.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Use these open-ended prompts to extend the learning during or after the activity:

• "What do you think will happen before we try it?"
• "Was your prediction right, or did something surprise you?"
• "Why do you think that happened?"
• "What would change if we tried it with something different?"
• "Can you think of a place in real life where you've seen this before?"
• "What question does this make you want to answer next?"

There are no right or wrong answers to any of these questions. The goal is to keep the conversation going, model curious thinking, and give your child practice putting their experience into words.